The number of teams and number of team members on each team will be determined by the number of forum members that sign-up; Teams will be determined mostly at random, but with some consideration for the experience and expectation of success of those that sign up to play. We want to have a mix of experienced hunters that will likely kill one gobbler (or more) combined with less experienced hunters that may not be as likely to harvest a gobbler. The sign-up information will be used to categorize each entrant in the contest so that we can create teams of approximately equal experience and expectation of success. After all the entrants have been categorized, the teams will be chosen randomly from within each category as much as possible.

Scoring: a) the winning team will be determined first of all by the total number of team members on each team that kill a gobbler. For example, if a team consists of ten members and each team member kills a gobbler and no other team accomplishes that, then that team is the winner. b) First tie-breaker....if two or more teams tie, then the winning team will be determined by the total number of mature gobblers in each teams score from the above (jakes killed will be subtracted from the team score) c) Second tie-breaker...if two or more teams tie in the first tie-breaker, then the winner will be determined by the total number of gobblers (jakes and mature) killed by each team during the season. (each team adds up the total number of gobblers killed by team members for the season)

Oath of Ethics and Participation: This contest is completely on the honor system. All forum members who sign-up must agree to compete fairly and ethically in the contest. Further, all that sign up are expected to participate fully in the contest and report on this forum as to their success (or lack thereof). Please, if you are in the contest, do not disappear on us!

It would be nice to have everybody post photos of their birds, and we would like to see a single thread where everybody posts pictures if they can get it done. However, picture posting is not a requirement. Please try to take good pictures to post...recommendations...clean the bird up, smooth the feathers, respectful pose with good background, hunter smiling, take in the sun (if possible) to show feather coloration, etc.

Dewey will be recording stats and scores for birds taken on another thread. That information will have no bearing in this part of the contest, but it will be interesting to see how everybody's birds scored. See the scoring rules if you do not know how to score your gobbler(s).

The contest will run until everybody who is participating in the contest is finished hunting this spring. I suspect the final tally will be made around the 1st of June, or thereabouts.

Dewey will be recording stats and scores for birds taken on another thread. That information will have no bearing in this part of the contest, but it will be interesting to see how everybody's birds scored. See the scoring rules if you do not know how to score your gobbler(s).

It is for fun and to see who scores the highest scoring gobbler of each species. Please read the posts under this thread for scoring information, typical vs. non-typical and other information. Of course this will give bragging right to the top 3 folks for each species for the year.

I would like to apologize in advance for taking the highest scoring Eastern as everyone else will be fighting for second, jk-LOL!![:D]

Good luck to everyone this spring.

Dewey

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." --Mahatma Gandhi

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."--F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer

Are jakes a deduction ONLY in the case of a tie? This is only my 3rd season and am fuly prepeared to shoot a jake and listen to all the crap from my mentors, et al.

Jakes will only be subtracted from the team total in the first tie-breaker. Other than that, they count the same as a mature gobbler. There is no intent to attach any stigma to shooting a jake. I just needed to figure a way to separate teams that had an equal number of gobblers and this is what I thought of first. I say just go ahead and shoot'em and we'll sort'em out later.....and we won't take no crap from no stinkin' mentors (or et al.)! [:D]